Holiday Success Interview #1: the e-tailing group

By Sarah Etter

August 17, 2012

Every year, ecommerce companies look for ways to capitalize on the holiday shopping frenzy. So we asked some experts to weigh in on what trends are worth watching to help you make sure your 2012 holiday season is a conversion goldmine.

To kick off this Holiday Success series, we’re featuring responses from the e-tailing group, the Chicago-based niche ecommerce consultancy led by Lauren Freedman. And don’t forget to check back next week for more seasonal ecommerce insights from another conversion rate optimization industry leader.

Q: What is one of the biggest ecommerce trends we’ll see this holiday season?

A: Mobile certainly will be an important trend this holiday season with more shoppers owning these devices, particularly as their comfort and desire to shop via those devices has grown exponentially throughout 2012.

Q: What is the most important thing an ecommerce business can do this season to improve conversions?

A: The right product in-stock, priced sharply and shipped very quickly to the consumer. The customer doesn’t want to wait, and logistics continue to accelerate. Much hasn’t changed, but the cross-channel consumer is well researched and has done their homework in advance of making most of their purchases—so information must be comprehensive to convince shoppers to pull the add-to-cart trigger.

Q: How can ecommerce companies support consumers shopping across multiple devices?

A: A strong user experience that is right for each device, yet consistent for the brand. Cross-channel conveniences—including one-click checkout, the ability to buy from any channel and pick up / return to retail stores—adds value as well.

Q: What is a good campaign to run during the holidays that many ecommerce companies still seem to overlook?

A: Reminding shoppers to visit your stores when the ground cutoff date has been reached is wise. And don’t forget to promote new product towards the end of the year to compensate for margin hits on markdown product.

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Sarah Etter is the former the senior editor at Monetate. Before joining Monetate, she was a writer for various online and print publications, and served as the associate editor of The Internet & Marketing Report newsletter. Sarah also loves fiction writing and ice hockey... yes, ice hockey.